Third Son
by Tanya Adams 64
Summary: Look into Matthew's personal secret life as a former Black Fang, both past and present, as he aids the Lords on their journey around Elibe. AU, Matthew-centric.
1. Another Journey

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

_**I have been meaning to write this story ever since I played Fire Emblem back during high school in 2003. However, I have been debating this for the longest time if this was a ridiculous plot. Now, over ten years of thinking, I decided to disregard popular opinion and write out this alternate universe Fire Emblem story. I am starting in Hector's route in the game, skipping Lyn's route, though not completely ignored. We all know what the characters look like, but there is Fire Emblem Wikipedia if you don't know who the characters are. (There are no OC's, with the exception of Matthew's mother, who is deceased and unseen anyways. So, if there is a name you don't recognize, look them up. They are not made up characters.) Anyways, enjoy the story and hope you liked it.**_

_**Yours truly,**_

_**Tanya Adams 64**_

* * *

**Third Son**

**Part 001**

* * *

Inside the castle Ostia, the young Hector paced around the war-room, anxious of the events unfolding. It's been over a month since Lord Elbert, the marquess of Pherae, left his home and hasn't been heard from since. His brother, Marquess Uther, forbade Hector of partaking any searches as this wasn't Ostia's affair. However, Hector decided to secretly run away and aid his friend Eliwood's search for Lord Elbert. He sent out Matthew to scout for Eliwood's current location earlier. The spy has been gone for two hours and he was getting impatient.

Suddenly without warning, Hector was startled by the flapping sound of Matthew's red cloak, as the spy appeared behind him from out of no where. The bigger man almost fell over, only to catch his balance at the last minute. Hector glared at Matthew with such an unexpected entrance.

"Don't ever do that again!" Hector snapped, clutching his chest.

"Forgive me, my lord. But I found Sir Eliwood's location." Matthew bowed his head, strategically hiding his amused smirk.

"Where is he?" Hector asked.

"As we speak, he is in Santaruz." Matthew replied.

"Santaruz? What is he doing there?" Hector was surprised to learn this information.

"I have no idea, my lord. From what I know, it must be ur-" Before Matthew could answer, there was a loud crash outside, followed by numerous footsteps.

"The Marquess should be here! Surround the area and dispose those who resist!" A familiar voice boomed throughout the castle.

Both Hector and Matthew ran out the war-room and peaked through a window. Outside the gate was a knight, who stood stationary as the other soldiers infiltrated into rooms and the surrounded the vicinity. It only took a moment for Hector to realize these are soldiers from Laus, a fellow nation in the Lycian League.

"I know that man. Wire, isn't it? What...oh, I see..." Hector grumbled, grabbing his two axes and prepared to defend himself.

"It seems the rumors of Laus Marquess of sending assassins to eliminate you and Lord Uther are true." Matthew said, as he was not surprised. "My sources has never ceased to fail."

"Enough talk! We fight!" Hector rushed off, with Matthew following along.

"My lord, wait! Don't go off by yourself!" Matthew called out.

* * *

Once the threat inside the castle was taken care of, it was time to face Wire, who was waiting patiently outside. Hector was surprised how well trained these men are. Even though Laus had a strong military, they were no where close this professional as these soldiers.

"My lord, I manage to eliminate the remaining archers in the castle. Plus, I manage to find a red gem in one of the treasure rooms. What should I do with it?" Matthew held a shiny gem he find in a neglected treasure chest.

Hector waved him off, "We'll discuss the non-important stuff later. I shall deal with this knave first."

Hector kicked opened the doors, almost breaking them off their hinges. Outside, the knight Wire twirled his spear around, looking as he was bored. The young lord had enough of this man's presence.

"You have gall to show up here in the open. You're lucky you're facing me and not my brother; he would have single-handily decimated your men in a matter of minutes." Hector walked up to the knight.

"Such bold words, little boy." Wire chuckled.

"Don't get cocky with me. Though, I admit, that you and your men are nothing like the idiots that Marquess Laus has in his disposal. Too good, too professional—who do you work for?" Hector demanded for answer.

Wire laughed, "That is none of your concern, Little Lord Hector. However, a foolish child running away from home and never to be seen again after his body is hidden in an unmarked grave makes quite a story. Don't you agree?"

Hector shook his head and scoffed, "Never mind. Your luck has ran out anyways."

"Excuse me?"

"You see, I am angry have I ever been and I been itching to take it out on someone. I think you do just fine. Prepare to die!" Hector jumped up the air has he shouted out those words.

His Wolf Beil barely made contact with Wire's armor, who staggered backwards. The knight hissed, trying to stab the lord with his spear. However, the spear barely made a dent on Hector's defenses. Mentally, Wire cursed himself of grabbing such a weak weapon.

Finally, with another mighty swing with his ax, Hector broke the lance in half. Wire was now without any weapons and started to growl in frustration. Only to add the fact he was getting exhausted from all this moving around in heavy armor. With no choice, he took out a Vulnerary, hoping to at least restore enough energy to escape. Unfortunately for the enemy knight, the sack was snatched out of his hand by Matthew's swift movement. Matthew slid away from Wire and tossed the medicine to Hector for later use.

"The damned Ostian spy has returned. Witless fool—I should have killed you when I got the chance." Wire said under his panting. If it weren't for Matthew's speed, his archers would have killed the spy long before the blond could reach Hector. "Damn, I should followed Damian's example of becoming of horse rider instead. Lord Nergal...I have underestimated my enemy..."

"Pathetic..." Hector said, slashing Wire, killing him with a critical blow. The knight fell down, causing the ground to tremble slightly under their feet.

Matthew stiffened after Wire spoke a name he remembers far too well.

Hector put away his ax, using a Vulnerary to replenished his health. He turned to Matthew, who was staring at Wire's lifeless body. Hector could tell something is amiss.

"What is wrong with you? You pale as a sheet." Hector asked, walking up to the stunned thief.

Matthew snapped back into reality, returning to his cheery demeanor. "Forgive me, my lord. I am just making sure this man here stays dead. Knights are rather tricky to defeat. Speaking from experience."

Good thing Hector bought his fib, "That makes sense. Enough idling, we have to meet up with Eliwood right away. I have a bad feeling about the whole situation with Laus. Find Oswin and Serra and meet me at the gate to Santaruz in an hour."

"Yes, my lord." Matthew said and disappeared in a blink of an eye. After that, Hector rushed away from the Ostian castle, hoping to catch up with Eliwood before it was too late.

* * *

Five-year-old Matthew looked out the window after hearing a shouting match between two men. It was Brandon Reed, who had enough of Damian's cruelty after hearing that the Paladin ransacked a village along with Brigades unaffiliated with the Black Fang.

"This in beyond unacceptable. Our job was to help those who are in need the most. You're actions stray from our creed! For you're judgment, you are hereby banned! Begone from my sight!" Brandon pulled out his ax, pointing outwards from him.

"You're too damned soft, Reed. That will be your undoing. Mark my words." Damian warned the leader of Black Fang.

"Get out before I change my mind and cut you down." Brandon retorted, gripping tighter the handle of his ax.

Damian spat on Brandon's boots and hopped on his steed. The man finally rode off into the blizzard, hopefully never been seen again. Matthew never liked that man in the first place. Since day one, the little boy had a terrible feeling from his man.

The door opened and Brandon walked in, placing the ax on the floor. Matthew hopped down from the wooden chair, greeting the older man. Brandon gave soft smile, ruffling Matthew's hair.

"You're up early. Where are your brothers?" Brandon asked.

"They're out training." Matthew replied.

"I see...and I see that you're still working on your skills as a thief." Brandon chuckled.

"I'm not a thief." Matthew defended himself.

"Is that so?" Brandon reached out and pulled out a bracelet from Matthew's pocket. "I could of sworn I had this around my wrist just a minute ago."

Matthew looked away, flushing. "It was pretty. That's all."

"It was the only thing left by your mother. Naturally, you would try to steal this from me everyday. I admit, you're getting better at your '_craft_'. As much as I wish you never hang around Legault, you did learn a lot from him." Brandon put the bracelet back on his wrist.

"I only learned by spying on him. Legault doesn't even know I exist." Matthew said with a disappointed look.

"Don't worry. Once you're up to his level, he would take notice. At the meantime, help me move around some supplies. There is a new job waiting for us in Bern." Brandon took Matthew by the hand and took him to the supply room for weapon detail.

* * *

Matthew finished his flashback as he made his way to Santaruz. Oswin and Serra went on ahead, however, Matthew needed to tie some loose ends before he could leave Ostia. One of them that of leaving a note for Lord Uther, telling him everything in exact detail. As much as Matthew is loyal to Hector, his loyalty towards Lord Uther is much greater. After all, it was Uther who found Matthew when he was a common twelve-year-old Pickpocket in the Port of Badon, unaware of Matthew being a former Black Fang. He decided to sell off the Red Gem he found earlier for War Funds. He wanted to give the jewel to Leila as a gift, but decided against it, as funding for Lord Hector and Lord Eliwood comes first.

During that time, it was when Matthew finally remembered Damian, the man Wire spoke of. He doesn't know nor care how they are exactly related, but he remembered the purple haired Paladin. The man would sometimes give nasty looks towards him and/or his older brothers. He never really spoke to him, which was fine. However, after Wire mentioned his name, Matthew wondered if Damian finally got hired by someone. At first he thought it was the Marquess of Laus, but he hasn't saw him there. Matthew decided to forget the about him and resume his attention on Lord Hector's direction.

**To Be Continued...**

* * *

**I tried my best to make it not too shocking of Matthew being a related to the Reeds (I think the title gave that away. Haha.) Bits of pieces of his past are revealed in tiny, non-linear segments (which includes Lyn's route). It will all fall into place why he left the "_family __business_" and became a spy for Ostia. On the side note, I didn't want to waste my time with Wire, as he wasn't that too important of a character. That is why I allow Hector to defeat him quickly. **


	2. Birds of a Feather

_**I like to thank everyone so far for reviewing this story. It is greatly appreciated. To an anonymous reviewer who asked me if I was a Patlabor fan and my answer is a huge yes. I been into that anime since I was a youngster in the late nineties. Anyways, here is a new chapter and hope you all enjoy.**_

_**Yours truly,**_

_**Tanya Adams 64 **_

* * *

**Third Son**

**Part 002**

* * *

Santaruz Castle was quiet today as all of the staff and knights were given the day off. It was unusual that Lord Helman would give such a generous gift, but there were no complaints. However, unbeknownst to them, Lord Helman had a visitor that very same day.

"Is this true? Eliwood is on his way here?" Helman asked, surprised of the news.

"Yes. He and his allies have set up camp in the southern hill nearby." The man in the purple hood replied. "He is on his way to seek entrance and an audience with you."

The elder man gave a long sigh, "Could it be that Eliwood wants to ask questions about his missing father? If that is what he seeks, I have no information to give him."

"Than do tell him that and hope he leaves immediately." The man suggested.

"Yet, I have known Eliwood since he was a small lad. His father and I are old friends and I consider Eliwood a son, as I have no children of my own. There is no chance I could lie to him with a straight face." Lord Helm answered in a wary voice.

The hooded man's voice switched to a slightly more annoyed tone. "Than this leave us no choice but to drive him away."

Lord Helm was taken back, "Wait! Do you mean to harm Lord Eliwood?"

"No, we will just simply frighten him away along with his allies. No harm will be done towards him. He will be turned back to Phaere and his adventure will end." The hooded man replied with a smirk that made the elderly man uncomfortable.

Afterward, the hooded man disappeared in the shadows, leaving Lord Helm contemplating his thoughts. As much he wants to believe this man, deep down, Lord Helman knew that this man was lying. He gave a silent prayer for Eliwood's safety.

* * *

Right after Matthew arrived from Ostia to Santaruz, the battle has already been commenced. He noticed an enemy solider who spotted him and dodged a javelin thrown at him. He quickly distance himself from the solider and ran into Serra, who was hiding behind a tree.

"I just made it in time." Matthew said behind her back.

"EEEK!" She shrieked and fell on the ground. She hot eye daggers at Matthew as she got up. "Don't ever do that again!"

Matthew shook his head in exasperation. "Good to see you, too."

"By the way, what took you so long to get here?" She asked him with her hands on her hips.

"I have some business to take care of. Where is Lord Hector anyways?" Matthew asked.

"He is heading to the southwest village where Lord Eliwood is near. Hey! You're not leaving me behind, are you? Whose going to protect me?" She started whining.

Matthew ignored her as he made his way where Hector should be. Sure, Serra may not be a non-combatant, but she should be perfectly fine. After all, her voice is her strongest weapon against enemy soldiers.

He finally spotted Hector, who was fighting Brigades along with Oswin. He also noticed that Eliwood and his group was advancing their direction. A Pegasus knight spotted the thief and quickly made her way towards the him.

Her Pegasus landed nearby and she thrust her iron lance at Matthew's direction. He barely dodged it and moved out the way, hoping not to be trampled by her flying steed.

"Get back here and fight like a man!" She called out for him.

"I really don't have time to fight you, miss." Matthew glowered.

She growled and tried attacking him again, with him nearly evading her attacks. Suddenly, before she could recover, a javelin flew from out of nowhere and hit her in the side. The flying steed toppled over, landing on the now defeated rider. Matthew turned at the direction where the lance came from and was greeted with a stern look by Oswin.

"You're late." Oswin scolded the thief.

"You know me-"

"Save it. We'll need to help Lord Hector first. Just follow me, I will shield you from enemy attacks." Oswin turned around, making his way to rejoin Lord Hector.

Matthew decided remain silent and stood behind Oswin, avoiding any attackers aimed at him. Oswin easily defeated Mercenaries and Pegasus Knights, but had a harder time with Brigades, as their axes have a better advantage against him. Matthew took care of the ax users after Oswin weakened them.

* * *

After over an hour of fighting, they finally manage to catch up with Hector, who just managed to defeat the Commander of the Brigade group. Eliwood was also there with an archer girl Matthew has yet to meet and Marcus. Eliwood examined the body, looking up to Hector.

"He won't be anymore trouble. However, I wonder how he knew of me." Eliwood pondered.

"Well, we are not exactly in the shadows. Which reminds me—where have you been Matthew?" Hector turned to the thief.

"Forgive me, my lord. I had a few loose ends to take care of." Matthew apologized me.

Then a familiar face arrived with Dorcas, Lowen, and another Fighter that also is unknown to him.

"Well, well...isn't the young tactician, Robin." Matthew grinned.

"Matthew...is it really you?" The young teenaged girl in a green cloak asked in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Guess there is no need to hide the truth. The fact is, I am a spy for the House of Ostia. Serra is also a vassal for Lord Hector. Speaking of Serra..." Matthew cringed when Serra's voice carried throughout the field.

"HOW RUDE OF YOU TO JUST LEAVE ME THERE-" Serra stopped and noticed Robin. "Robin! Blessed Saint Elimine! I thought I would never see you again!"

The pink haired Cleric threw herself at the tactician, giving the young girl a bone-crushing hug. Matthew decided to slip out of the way and regroup with Hector, who was talking to Oswin and Eliwood. Hector turned around and crossed his arms.

"I am going to let you off the hook for being late, but don't ever disobey an order again!" Hector warned Matthew.

"I will do as you say, my Lord." Matthew promised to his Lord with a hidden grin.

"Since there is no longer any distractions," Hector turned back to Eliwood, "Tell me, good friend, why didn't you tell me you're looking for your father? You could of told us first."

Eliwood was taken a back, stunned of Hector's confrontation. "As you see, your brother was just named Marquess Ostia. Therefore, he would be too busy setting up his court council. Besides, you should be there with him, giving Lord Uther your endless support."

Hector waved it off, "My brother isn't weak. Though, he did mention some things publicly. But, he knew what I was exactly planning and somehow let me go."

"Is that so? Then it would be unwise to refuse his kindness." Eliwood smiled slightly. "It does me good to see you're here, Hector. Thank you."

"Think nothing of it." Hector rubbed his neck sheepishly.

Oswin finally stepped forward, standing next to Hector. The blue-haired man didn't remember if Eliwood has met the knight yet, so he decided to introduce him to the red-haired noble. "You know, Oswin, don't you?"

"Well met, Lord Eliwood." Oswin greeted.

"It's good to see you again, Oswin. I see you came as well?" Eliwood replied. Of course Eliwood has met Oswin before.

"Yes. Someone has to keep an eye on Lord Hector while he is alone." Oswin replied in a jokingly manner. Hector narrowed his eyes at Oswin, but the knight brushed it off.

Eliwood chuckled, "It's good to have you here, Sir Oswin."

Suddenly, Serra pushed Oswin aside, calling for Hector. Matthew cringed a little, trying not to be spotted. He finally just noticed that Robin was directly behind Eliwood, assuming she slipped away from Serra quietly.

"Lord Hector!" Serra grabbed his right arm. "Why didn't you tell me the fighting was done?"

Matthew noticed that Hector was getting irritated and stepped up. "I apologize my Lord for the interruption. Shall I restrain her for you?"

Serra shot Matthew a nasty look.

"Oh, Hector, are these your companions?" Eliwood interjected quickly. Most likely want to keep the peace.

Hector snatched his arm away and stepped next to Eliwood. Serra is pouting as Matthew just stood there, trying to suppress a snicker.

"Yes, I suppose they are." Hector finally spoke up, "Though, one might hope for better..."

"That is uncalled for! I can't believe you just said that!" Serra protested. She turned to Matthew with an annoyed look. "Matthew, did you hear what he just said about you?"

Matthew's eyebrow twitched, "He was talking about you!"

"Hector, why don't you introduce them to me." Eliwood decided to speak up, to prevent them two getting into an argument. Matthew was surprised Eliwood doesn't remember Matthew, as the thief knew about the nobleman. However, he decided to keep quiet.

Hector introduced both Serra and Matthew. "The noisy one is Serra, which you won't believe that is a Cleric."

"Please to meet you, Lord Eliwood." Serra greeted Eliwood with a half-curtsy.

"And that is Matthew over there." Hector finally pointed to the thief. "He does a lot of...erm...sneaking around."

"My lord." Matthew nodded his head at Eliwood.

However, Eliwood tilted his head. "Sneaking around?"

"Well, I, er, gather...information, open doors, chests, and such as." Matthew stuttered a little. "You can say I have...um...nimble fingers."

Eliwood crossed his arms, "Sounds like a work of a thief."

Matthew backed up a little. "Well played, my Lord."

Hector stepped front of both Serra and Matthew, bringing up the reason why Hector is there in the first place. "Don't you worry you. This journey you're on will be harder than you imagine."

'_Huh? Where did this come from all of sudden?_' Matthew stared at Hector.

"You may have to accept things like this if you want to survive."

"Do you know something, Hector?" Eliwood asked, confused.

Hector shook his head. "Nothing specific, but I heard rumors though. A league of assassins from Bern are moving around in Lycia."

Matthew froze again. Serra noticed this and poked his ribs. She whispered to him softly, so only Matthew could hear her. "Hey, what's wrong? You got cold feet or something?"

Matthew quickly shrugged it off. "N-nothing to worry about."

"-experienced bounty hunters and mercenaries are vanishing-"

"That reminds me." Eliwood finally remembered something. "One of the men who attacked us said something unusual."

"What is it?" Hector asked.

Marcus finally stepped up, "Lord Eliwood, if I may?"

"Marcus, good to you see you again." Hector smiled at the Paladin.

"It's been awhile, Lord Hector." Marcus smiled back. "Your assistance is greatly appreciated."

"No need to be formal, Marcus." Hector reminded the older man. "Just tell us what you heard."

"Of course. The apparent leader of those gang of thugs mentioned that someone was watching Lord Eliwood. That someone wanted him dead." Marcus finally revealed the information to Hector.

Hector looked down, obviously troubled by this information. "You know, the captain of the guard was watching the fighting when we arrived. He was a knight of Santaruz, yet he just stood there and let the lord be attacked. I believe he was planning on seeing you die."

There was a long pause until Eliwood turned to Robin. "What do you think, Robin?"

The girl looked uncomfortable but decided to give her short answer. "I believe that something might of happened to Lord Helman earlier. We should check on him just in case."

Eliwood nodded. "I agree with you, too. We all should make our to the castle as soon as possible."

"Who is this, Eliwood?" Hector glanced at Robin.

"Oh! I see you haven't met Robin yet. I required tactical aid in the search for my father and she just happened to be nearby the area where I live." Eliwood introduced the tactician to Hector.

"Oh, I see. So this is who directed the battle plan back there? Interesting. You look very young, Robin. I mean, we have strategists back in Ostia, but none around your age." Hector seemed unsure about the teenager. "Eliwood, are you sure about her?"

"She is still a student of military strategy, but we've received nothing but sound advice so far. Robin has my trust." Eliwood replied.

"Alright, I shall see her skills firsthand. Well met, Robin." Hector looked back at her. Robin remained silent the whole time, unsure what to say and a little embarrassed to be the center of a conversation.

Matthew stepped up and grabbed Robin's hand, pulling her away. "We have a lot of catching to do, right young miss?"

"Wait-" Robin tried to protest, but it was too late. Hector and Eliwood looked at him with confused expressions.

"Relax, I will return the young lady in one piece." He grinned and brought her to a quiet spot away from the others.

**To Be Continued...**

* * *

**Once again, thank you for all reading. The next chapter is a flashback when Matthew first meets Lyn and company. **


End file.
